Heschel, Abraham Joshua, Rabbi, 1907-1972

Rabbi Abraham Heschel was born in Warsaw and later moved to Germany for his studies and to launch his teaching career, serving as successor to Martin Buber in Frankfort for a time. He was forced out of Germany in 1938 by the Nazis. After teaching at London and Cincinnati, he went to Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where he spent the rest of his career save a few stints as visiting chair at other universities. Heschel shared with Merton a way to both speak of God's majesty while remaining prophetic. Heschel wrote of many justice issues of the day in solidarity with Martin Luther King, Jr., and with those opposing the Vietnam War. Merton initiates correspondence with Heschel in 1960. They discussed the Second Vatican Council's statement against war, Schema 13, part of which became Gaudium et Spes, the "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World". Merton was also lending support to the Council's statement on interfaith dialog, which became Nostra Aetate, the "Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions". When a compromise version of the statement came out that watered down the Jewish-Catholic dialog and had a condescending tone, Merton expressed his disappointment to Heschel and desire for greater unity, "This much I will say: my latent ambitions to be a true Jew under my Catholic skin will surely be realized if I continue to go through experiences like this, being spiritually slapped in the face by these blind and complacent people of whom I am nevertheless a 'collaborator'" (1964/09/09 letter from Merton to Heschel). (Source: The Hidden Ground of Love, p. 430 .)

[see "Bea, Augustine" file, copied to Heschel - sent to Bea on 1964/07/14] Jewish Chapter of the Second Vatican Council / healing between Christians and Jews to serve both faiths / the fear of alienation with Moslems vs. the unity of all "people of the Book" in the Koran / promises to Abraham / Protestant ecumenism
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The Moral Outrage of Vietnam by ABRAHAM J. HESCHEL [-] It is weird to wake up one morning and find

[two page article by Heschel - from Fellowship, September 1966 (of the Fellowship of Reconciliation) - reprinted by the International Committee of Conscience for Vietnam in Nyack, New York]
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